A hotel boss has said his company ‘got it wrong’ after explosive allegations were made about rape, drug use and sexual competitions between staff at its luxury venues.
Swillhouse, who owns six high-profile venues in Sydney including Le Foote restaurant in The Rocks and CBD whisky bar Baxter Inn, has been rocked by allegations made by staff that first came to light last month.
Swillhouse CEO and founder Anton Forte, who is not personally accused of any wrongdoing, posted a lengthy video on the hotel group’s Instagram account on Wednesday addressing the allegations.
An investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald reported on claims from five former female employees who allege the company failed to support them after they reported allegations of sexual abuse and harassment by male employees.
During his video apology, Forte said he started his hospitality group to “create something magical in the city we love.”
“We wanted to create a culture of openness, generosity and respect, but we made mistakes along the way,” he said.
‘It’s heartbreaking to know that there were people who were not supported, who were not listened to and who were let down.
“I am deeply sorry.”
Swillhouse founder Anton Forte has posted a lengthy apology on Instagram after his hotel group became embroiled in a scandal.
Mr Forte said the allegations against Swillhouse were “far-reaching” and “reflect a period of time when our business was not as sophisticated as it is now”.
However, Mr Forte said: “We do not take them lightly and we respect people’s experiences and their need to share their stories publicly.”
“We have heard them, we are listening to them and we are responsible,” he said.
While Mr Forte said that over the “past few years” Swillhouse had made “many changes to our workplace, culture and HR practices to better support and protect our team,” he knew they had to “do better.”
“This week we have brought in three leading independent experts on culture and leadership in hospitality, health and safety at work to advise us on how to work differently, to work better,” he said.
“We are putting every aspect of our operations under the microscope because we want to identify where, what and how we need to change.”
Mr Forte said he owed the group’s “brilliant staff” of 330 and “diverse mix of guests” for having… ‘real, positive and lasting change’.
Swillhouse, who owns six high-profile venues across the city including Le Foote restaurant in The Rocks (pictured) and the Baxter Inn whisky bar, has been rocked by a litany of disturbing allegations.
“We will move forward and emerge as better versions of ourselves, of Swillhouse, and we will not let anyone down again,” he said.
Swillhouse also owns the Caterpillar Club, Alberto’s Lounge, Shady Pines Saloon and Hubert’s Restaurant.
Mr Forte resigned from the board of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association following the allegations.
IThe Sydney Morning Herald investigation exposed concerns about the culture within Swillhouse venues.
A woman who worked as a bartender at Hubert’s has alleged that a colleague raped her in the bathroom in 2013 after making her a cocktail containing 10 different gins.
The all-male bartending team at the Baxter Inn (pictured) allegedly competed to sleep with customers in a warehouse, with a $1,000 bottle of wine offered to the first winner.
“I got completely drunk and passed out and came to while he was raping me in the women’s bathroom at work,” the woman told the publication, after filing a police complaint.
Other restaurant staff claimed there was a special room where they would do lines of cocaine during their shifts, while the all-male bartending team at the Baxter Inn allegedly competed to sleep with customers in a storage room.
A $1,000 bottle of wine was reportedly up for grabs for the first waiter to have sex with a customer.
A former staff member told the SMH that all conquests were noted and ranked in order of attractiveness during staff meetings.
Last month, Daily Mail Australia revealed that another Swillhouse boss deleted her Instagram account that contained a sexually suggestive username.
Swillhouse creative director Jordan McDonald, who is not personally accused of any crime, was forced to delete his Instagram account after being criticised for his sexually explicit username.
Mr McDonald, who handles creative direction, events, entertainment, public relations and strategy for the restaurant group, previously had the username ‘@wangdangsweetpoontang’ on one of his accounts.
It is a reference to the title of a 1977 song by American singer Ted Nugent, which fantasizes about a “teenage queen”.
“She looks so clean, especially down there,” the lyrics say.
Swillhouse creative director Jordan McDonald (pictured above), who is not personally accused of any misconduct, was forced to delete his Instagram account after being criticised for his sexually explicit username.
Nugent, who is now one of the most outspoken Donald Trump supporters in the music world, sings in a later verse: “She’s so sweet when she pulls my flesh.”
Since the investigation broke, Swillhouse has been inundated with complaints from disgruntled former customers.
“The fact that your PR head and Frankies director could get away with using the Instagram username ‘Wang Dang Sweet Poontang’ (the title of a sexually explicit song about a teenage girl) says a lot about your company,” one person wrote.
Mr McDonald told the Daily Mail Australia it was his “private Instagram” and insisted it had “nothing to do with Swillhouse”.
“I changed the name because it was not appropriate and I regret it,” he said.
When asked why he tagged Swillhouse Hospitality and Frankie’s Bar in the description, he did not respond.